Mitigation measures in general zoning

The preceding chapter indicated the areas making up a hospital and
also referred to the need for making certain design variations that would help
to mitigate disasters in the building (Figure 12).

It is considered essential, not only for the purpose of disaster
mitigation and prevention but also for the administration of the building, that
the possibility be explored of separating the General Services sector

Figure 12. location of general services

from the main block of the hospital building (Figure 13).
Following are reasons for taking this architectural design measure: a. The
boiler area is usually located in the General Services sector, which in most
cases becomes a dangerous time bomb that can produce untold disaster if an
explosion occurs.

Figure 13. distribution of general
services

If the boilers are located outside of the main building, the
damages to the general infrastructure would be mild in the event of an explosion
and would affect the hospital's operation to a lesser degree. This is also the
case of the hospital's gas plant. Although it is true that building a separate
structure for these services would increase the initial costs of construction,
the increase would be of little consequence compared with the cost of the
damages ensuing from an explosion.

b. Another service that is commonly located in the General
Services sector is the emergency plant. This service could also be located
separately, not so much because of the inherent risks it involves as for the
advantage offered by its possible use during critical moments.

If located outside the main building, this plant, in the event of
fire or earthquake, could be used to carry out many activities, either outdoors
or in sectors of the building that have not been affected. Since the substation
and the control panels are located together with the emergency generator, this
entire energy complex would be located in the proposed independent structure,
whose seismic-resistance specifications would be much stricter in order to
ensure its operation even in the event of an intense earthquake.

c. For the same reasons it is considered desirable to locate
telephone, radiocommunications, and similar services in this sector, since as in
the case of the energy system, they may be used in the event of a disaster
situation.

As mentioned previously, it also is desirable, whenever possible,
to locate hospital water storage tanks in this area. Since they are most
commonly located on the upper floors of the building, they represent additional
loading on the structure and thus increased risk. If these services are located
in the independent structure proposed for the general services sector, they
would not only reduce the lateral loads on the main building in the event of
earthquake, but also make it possible to ensure permanent and continuous water
supply during the postdisaster period. With a guaranteed electric power supply,
water-pumping equipment would remain in operation, thereby making it possible to
supply the building and the fire-fighting system, constituting one more element
for the mitigation and prevention of disasters.

d. It would also be desirable to locate the kitchen services
within the proposed independent structure, where they would be provided with
water, electric power, and gas services. Food supply could be available not only
for the usable sectors of the hospital building but also for the adapted areas
in the open areas. Something similar would occur with the laundry service, which
would complete the package of facilities available to serve either partially or
totally the areas of the hospital affected by the event or a possible field
hospital.

It should be noted that the foregoing is possible if an entire
multidisciplinary team is available in which engineers, architects, and planners
as well as medical and paramedical personnel, participate in making general
proposals for actions, responsibilities, movements, and physical solutions to
implement the above recommendation.

This new area or sector of the hospital may be likened to a kind
of bunker that houses vital equipment - similar to an intensive care unit - that
would be designed to supply and control communications and water, gas, and
electrical power to serve either partial or full operation of the hospital or
even, in an extreme case, a field hospital (Figure 14).